[Somatization disorders in primary care: differential clinical aspects. Study Group of Psychic and Psychosomatic Morbidity of Zaragoza, Primary Care Section].

BACKGROUND

To identify specific sociodemographic and psychopathological features of somatization disorder (SD) patients in relation to other patients with psychiatric and organic morbidity in primary care (PC) setting.

METHODS

A group of SD patients from PC was compared with other two control groups: the first one made of patients with psychiatric morbidity (with or without organic disease) and the second group of patients with only organic disease without psychiatric morbidity. Polivalent standardized psychiatric interview (PSPI), a specific psychiatric interview for PC settings, was used as diagnostic instrument.

RESULTS

1) there is a female predominance in SD statistically significant compared with organic patients and with a trend to significance in relation to psychiatric patients. Age, marital status and educational level show no significant differences among the groups; 2) in relation to psychopathology, SD patients show, in relation with organic patients, statistically higher levels in all items measured by PSPI. On the contrary, SD overwhelmed psychiatric patients in just four items: somatic symptoms, fatigue, reported anxiety and hystrionism as well as sexual problems and lack of social support, and 3) high psychiatric morbidity (85%) in SD, most of them affective and anxiety diagnosis, make it difficult to differentiate from the other patients suffering from psychiatric morbidity in PC.

CONCLUSION

Patients with SD show a very different profile compared with those with organic disease in relation to psychiatric symptoms and social problems. On the other hand, when compared with patients with psychiatric disorders, differences are rather scarce. In addition, affective and anxiety comorbidity associated make it difficult the diagnosis. For this reason, the use of screening instruments for SD seems mandatory.